Dong Thap bans farming and trading red crayfish
Dong Thap bans farming and trading red crayfish
The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Dong Thap Province has ordered local residents and organizations not to farm, trade, transport or store red swamp crayfish, or they will be heavily penalized.
The department’s deputy director, Vo Van Ngoan, told the Saigon Times on Monday that the department has asked local districts and towns to raise public awareness of the adverse effects of the invasive alien species on the environment and agricultural production.
If red crayfish are released into the environment, prompt action will be needed to locate and destroy them, he added.
The instructions came out after the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development released an official letter on May 17 requiring the General Department of Vietnam Customs, the General Department of Market Surveillance, local governments across the country and relevant agencies to join forces to prevent the crayfish from entering the country.
According to the ministry, the crayfish poses a significant risk to the country as it can survive harsh conditions, multiply quickly, compete strongly with other endemic creatures for food, plague crops and damage dikes, among other negative effects. Therefore, it must be completely banned from entering Vietnam.
The crackdown began after several batches of crayfish appeared on the domestic market.
Anti-smuggling authorities in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai have frequently intercepted illicit imports of red crayfish from neighboring China. Between May 1 and 22, they seized 945 kilograms of the species.
When investigative agencies inspected 18 seafood markets in Hanoi, they did not find any violations. This could mean that the trade and consumption of red crayfish mainly takes place on social media, such as Facebook.
Le Tran Nguyen Hung, deputy head of the Directorate of Fisheries’ Department of Aquatic Resources Conservation and Development, told Sai Gon Giai Phong newspaper that the Research Institute for Aquaculture No.1 had imported and raised the crayfish on a trial basis since 2002.
The institute later found that the alien species could cause adverse effects on the country’s biodiversity. Therefore, the Ministry of Fisheries, currently known as the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, placed a ban on farming the species.
